I hesitate to call these “proposals.” They’re more two directions that I’ll be exploring over the next week to decide where to go next.
Direction 1
Last week, I proposed that sports fans in the 21st century have become paradoxically more disconnected from the fundamentals of fandom as they connect more to their teams through new technology such as push notifications and tweets. And while I still think that these elements can break down a narrative if viewed in isolation, I am now inclined to believe that they have done a lot to strengthen the bond of many sports fans and their teams, especially the most dedicated of fans.
At this point, I’m interested in reframing the research that I’ve done into fandom not as a problem space for existing fans, but rather, an opportunity to capture new fans.
My hypothesis is that the barrier of entry for becoming a sports fan is often overly intimidating and seemingly insurmountable to a casual sports fan. How can we recast the measure of fandom from a measure of knowledge, but to a measure of passion and loyalty? How are honor, tribalism, narrative, unpredictability, and shared experience, the key characteristics of being a sports fan, currently lacking in people’s lives? How can I design ways to introduce these components to sports fans? Or as Frank said, how can I create a “gateway drug” for sports fans to higher level of fandom?
In a great deal of my research thus far, I’ve come across fascinating stories of people inheriting their team at different points of their life, but all of them are united in the lifelong bond they form thereafter, both with their team and with each other. What makes people grab on to these teams? Why do some choose to temporarily fixate on a team or sport, such as during the Olympics and World Cup, and then just as quickly cast them off at the end of 3 weeks? How can we create a way to hold on to these teams longer?
Innovations like fantasy football have been paramount in helping to make people sports fans by helping establish a baseline narrative of sports, the shared experience of watching football together, and the unpredictability and eustress of following your team, but it severely lacks in providing people with a tribe. After all, no two people’s fantasy football teams are the same.
Is there an opportunity in the stadium experience? People attend sporting events for a variety of reasons, not always as fans. How can we create an experience to lead up with anticipation, provide them with a compelling experience that they feel connected to in game, and leave with an “afterglow” (H/T Frank) that helps build their fandom. Each game someone attends should build on the previous experience and not feel like an individual affair.
In short, I am interested in developing a framework for potential sports fans to feel more connected to their teams and fellow fans, while simultaneously expressing their individual identity through who they root for.
or, as Allison stated, “To give somebody a piece themselves that they didn’t know was there…that’s powerful”
Pros of this direction ::
I have a passion for sports, and the fan experience
Classmates are a great target user
Could lead nicely into future in entrepreneurship
Red Flags to this direction ::
I have no clue what I would “make”
I’m afraid that I would make 5 screen shots of a website and a user journey video
Tough to get out of the “concept” level
Am I adding gamification to a game?
Why isn’t this just another FB app?
Next Steps ::
Continue to research fandom
Continue to research sports fans
KJ Analysis with Dave about sports and fans (done)
Liz’s suggestion - Develop small, testable prototypes about in small areas to begin picking away (love this idea, but no clue what they’d be. maybe this will come after KJ analysis)
References ::
http://www.codecademy.com/ - Site slowly teaches you coding through simple, step by step instructions. Gamification.
http://rouxbe.com - Online Video Cooking School & Cooking Classes
Mayor Emmanuel Twitter account.
Frank’s Survey Casts http://blog.frankchimero.com/post/2192456624
Direction 2
Sports, by their nature, generate an immense amount of data. Every pitch in a baseball game is meticulously recorded, from speed and location over the plate, to where it was hit and how the runners advanced. Simultaneously, other data is being recorded, such as temperature on the field, number of people watching it live, and how other teams are performing simultaneously across the country.
In his lecture “Presenting Data and Information.” Edward Tufte references the sports section of a newspaper as the most elegant presentation of data and statistics for mass consumption. But as we move away from the newspaper, is this information being translated properly in the digital world? As data visualization and infographics gain traction as a popular method for data consumption, is this information being presented in a way that is accurate, relevant, and of high integrity?
A recent post on Deadspin about the demise of the popular basketball blog, Free Darko, suggested that as sites with quality writing decline, “we lose something when our writers stop describing even what everyone else can see for himself. We lose that contagious love of detail — of simply watching very closely — and we cede yet more ground to those basketball writers who would use the sport as an arena for their grumpy toy morality.” But what if the solution isn’t a resurgence of journalism, but rather, a new form of journalism that relies on data visualization to bring the previously invisible information to the viewer’s attention.
In my thesis exploration, I would primarily explore different techniques to tell the complete narrative of a sporting event, and its larger picture in context of the season. How can fans be given the proper information, at the proper time, whether its before a game, during a game, or after a game to help them understand, and therefore feel more connected to, the sporting event they’re connecting with.
Simultaneously, I would also like to investigate the method of data collection that presently exists within sports. Much of this is still done through old school methods of radar guns and hand scoring. Similar to the emerging view of our homes and cities as the “internet of things,” how can we view the field of play in sports through this lens. How can the advancements that we’ve made through personal sport data, such as RunKeeper and Nike+, be thought of in the context of spectators sports?
In short, I am interested in designing a set of data visualizations for sports fans in order to aid in the narrative and understanding of various sporting events. (Yikes, I don’t like that. I think I more eloquently state my purpose up above).
Pros of this direction ::
Merges not only my passion for sports, but also, my love for data visualization
Promotes simultaneously building and researching
Aids me in developing what I consider to be a valuable skill
Well established research / perspectives in this field
Sports are a relatively unique take on data visualization
Interested in working in this field beyond grad school
Red Flags to this direction ::
Perhaps too focused too early on final product?
Perhaps too much work in this field already?
Next Steps ::
Survey existing sports data visualizations
Dive headfirst into Tufte
Dive headfirst into Processing
Reread Moneyball
References ::
Pennant iPad app
Flip Flop Fly Ball
Peter Hall’s Lecture / Essay “Where’s the Critique” http://dcrit.sva.edu/view/events/lecture-with-peter-hall-3/
Edward Tufte lecture / Site
Free Darko Says Goodbye http://deadspin.com/5790905/freedarko-says-goodbye Via Frank
Mapping Urban Invisibles http://www.amazon.com/Exposed-City-Mapping-Urban-Invisibles/dp/0415551803/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_4
